Keeping Your Family Safe in a Violent Situation

By USCCA // 08/27/2013

The thought of encountering a violent intruder in your home makes you shiver, and you never want to think it could happen to you. Unfortunately, the news always reminds us that these situations are a reality in our society on a daily basis. What’s worse, is that there is no way to predict who the next target will be. That’s why it’s important to prepare your family for those unthinkable “what ifs.”

Greg Ellifritz shared some key pointers in a past issue of Concealed Carry Magazine that can help your family create a plan for what to do in certain situations. Role-playing, as Greg suggests, can be a great way to practice potential scenarios and learn the right and wrong ways to react, as well as what to say and what not to say. This includes:

Teaching family members to be aware of their surroundings and to listen to the directions of their armed family member(s). As Greg puts it, “the person with the gun calls the shots!”

Reminding family members to keep quiet and avoid stating or insinuating that someone is armed with a gun. Be sure that family members fully understand the consequences of disclosing that information – statements like “Shoot him!” could cause an intruder to fire before you have the chance to draw, increasing the risk for injuries or worse.

Showing your family how to take cover and what materials are best to protect them from being struck by a bullet. Also, be sure that they know to immediately take cover if you have to draw your gun, as well as making sure kids understand to stay as far away from parents if their guns have been drawn.

Start working with your children as soon as possible. With young ones, use games like “I Spy” to help children become more aware of their surroundings while out and about, as well as at home. It’s also a good idea to determine a code word or phrase for your family, teaching kids that when mom or dad says the code word or phrase, it’s time to listen and be alert.